Expert Driver: seatbelts

Are you obliged to wear seatbelts on private land, or in a supermarket car park? Our legal expert has the slightly surprising answer

You could be fined if you don't buckle up in a supermarket car park. (Paul Rogers)
As far as the courts are concerned, highway regulations apply if the land is
publicly accessible. There may or may not be any fences or barriers to
prevent access to a supermarket car park or a drive-thru fast-food joint,
but they are accessible to road users and still deemed to be a public space.
So buckle up.

The definition of a road in England and Wales is “any highway and any other
road to which the public has access” (Road Traffic Act 1988 section 192(1)).
Provided there are no publicly accessible roads crossing it, genuinely
private land is not covered so you can drive without a seatbelt. You could,
however, be sued if you harmed other car occupants, and an insurer might
refuse to pay as you didn’t exercise your duty of care to passengers. As
ever, it’s dangerous not to wear a seatbelt while you are driving unless
you’re